Bob Dylan | March 8, 2012 Uh-oh, that long rumored Bob Dylan mega-box set is still supposed to be a secret Add a comment Harold Lepidus Bob Dylan Examiner

I awoke yesterday at about 4:30 in the morning. This was not intentional, yet not unusual. Against my better judgment, I went on my computer to see if there was any news.

Boy, did I find something! Forbes had posted an article with the following headline:

Bob Dylan Complete CD Box Set for Fall--Digital Included

The article went on to say:

The word is Columbia Records is preparing the ultimate Bob Dylan box set– a collection of all his albums including his bootleg series. The massive box will be a Dylanographer’s delight, collecting every single track including single tracks like “George Jackson” that never made into onto an album. There will also be a couple of CDs with miscellaneous tracks, so that just about everything you ever heard, had, lost, or wanted is all in one place. The price for this super collection is said to be $300–but there’s an upside. I am told that there will be a code so buyers can download the whole thing for free as well. “It seemed crazy to say here it is, now go upload the whole thing into your computer too,” says a source.

Since I did not have anything else to add - and it was the middle of the night - I sent the link, with the above information - directly to Expecting Rain, where it was posted not long after. It ended up being wildly popular, with nearly 3000 views from the site that day.

I then sent the exact same email to one of the world's leading Dylan collectors. His reply?

I'm surprised to read about it so soon - I thought it was still a secret!

He wasn't kidding. Later in the day, the Forbes article posted online was drastically different. The new headline was Robert Johnson Gets Blues Celebration at the Apollo, and the Dylan content was changed to :

Some of the gossip concerns Bob Dylan–and a big project set for the fall. Blues guys love Dylan and are always trying to collect everything he’s done. Stay tuned…

The Desolation Row Information Service postulated - and I concur - "Sony has got on to Forbes and asked for some hush."

Well, the cat is out of the bag, and the information has been posted at the Christian Post (... popular folk artist and activist?), Zap2It, and in a Dylanesque twist, a transparently rewritten version of the Chrisitian Post article in College News (although I cannot confirm which was published first). Even Expecting Rain added the information to original link.

However, this is not the first we've heard of such a project. Early last year, Variety reported:

Sony's catalog division, Legacy, has released nine official Dylan bootlegs thus far and is currently developing a 40-CD "superfan" Dylan release featuring a wealth of previously bootlegged studio outtakes.

Behind all of this hyperbole, it appeared that the release being discussed was probably a box set of (almost?) all of Dylan's regular releases, with a 2 CD set of rarities, which has been rumored to be released in the not-too-distant future.

But forget what you've heard. It's a secret.

You didn't hear it from me.

Let's just say, for the sake of argument, there is a massive Dylan box set coming out the autumn. This will give Dylan fans a whole new set of things to complain about!

First, the good news. If it is 40 CDs (or more, if it indeed includes The Bootleg Series) for $300, that is some bargain! The limited 3 CD "deluxe" edition of Tell Tale Signs sold for $150 when new, with two superfluous, and poorly bound, hardcover books.

Second, you can download the entire set from Sony with a special code that comes with the official set. Why the source thinks this is "crazy" is beyond me. It's a common practice these days on many releases (including Dylan's The Complete Mono Recordings).

Third, there is also the possibility of an unintentional rarity or two being included!

OK. Now for the complaints:

40 CDs, or more? The set might include the originally rumored 40 albums, with a number of double discs (depending on how you slice it). If so, what will it include - Studio? Live? Compilations? 1973's Dylan? Biograph? Since the original source of the article I told you to forget about (see above) was forced to remove his information, for whatever reason, it could be that he misheard this "gossip," and The Bootleg Series will not be included?

A couple of CDs to hold rarities. After Biograph and the Bootleg Series, what constitutes a rarity these days? Will the CDs be from the same list of tracks made available on iTunes? It is woefully incomplete, unless there are bonus tracks on the individual albums (which has not been the practice so far), or are part of some download "extras" option.

The rarities: Why can't we just buy the rarities CDs?

Whatever Sony chooses, you will find some fan complaining somewhere... (Why did they use that version of "Mixed-Up Confusion"? Where are the tracks from the "original" Freewheelin' and Blood On The Tracks? What about the soundtrack for Hearts Of Fire ?)

Why doesn't Sony release something we haven't heard before? Like another bootleg set? Why not release the complete Town Hall and Carnegie Hall concerts from 1963 instead of bits and pieces and samplers? How about the complete tape of his first electric performance at Newport in 1965 paired with another concert tape from that year? like the BBC broadcast for example? Or a revised and expanded version of the Basement tapes? Or the complete Isle of Wight concert with the Band from 1969? Why not expand those live albums from the 1970s and 1980s into special editions? like a complete Hard Rain concert from 1976, or one of those late fall 1978 shows with the innovative new arrangements and smokey vocals? Or how about one of the confrontational hellfire & brimstone born-again concerts from the fall of 1979 in which Dylan and his band pound a hostile and occasionally violent audience into submission?

Why not release that Canadian TV special from 1964 on DVD / Blu-ray, or a complete and uninterrupted concert from 1965, or the aborted TV special Eat the Document from 1966 with outtakes, Dylan's appearance on the Tribute to John Hammond in 1975, or the two Hard Rain specials from 1976, or the Toronto taping from 1980?

And those suggestions are just from the first two decades. Three more decades after that.

Instead of repackaging the catalog, add to the catalog. There is no shortage of material.

If this is true, the rarities disc better be also available as a seperate release or there'll be hell to pay amongst Dylanologists and Bobcats everywhere! Making them rebuy 40 CDs they most likely already have in order to get two discs of unreleased material (which they'll probably also already have on boots!) will result in a brouhaha that will make the (justified) complaining over Tell Tale Signs seem mild in comparison.

Yeah, I'd prefer to have some more "bootleg series" releases instead of a catalogue box set, too.

First of all, the complete 2001 Masked&Anonymous sessions would be a treasure to have! You know, those recordings Bob did 2001 for his movie, arrangements of traditionals and old songs of his, with that really fine band that also recorded "Love and Theft". There were three or four songs on the soundtrack, but there's a whole concert worth of stuff.

And what about a complete remastered box of the Basement Tapes... that would be such a thrill!

But hey, the biggest news for 2012 is the new upcoming album! It's been confirmed a few days ago by one of the session musicians, great Tex-Mex soundsmith David Hidalgo of "Los Lobos".

Wow. You know, this could be perfect for someone like me, actually - I've long enjoyed and appreciated Dylan, and would probably really like having his entire output, but I never really got around to getting very much of it. If I could afford such a set as this, it might be ideal for me. I do understand how it could kind of suck for longtime Dylan obsessive completists, though.

Why doesn't Sony release something we haven't heard before? Like another bootleg set? Why not release the complete Town Hall and Carnegie Hall concerts from 1963 instead of bits and pieces and samplers? How about the complete tape of his first electric performance at Newport in 1965 paired with another concert tape from that year? like the BBC broadcast for example? Or a revised and expanded version of the Basement tapes? Or the complete Isle of Wight concert with the Band from 1969? Why not expand those live albums from the 1970s and 1980s into special editions? like a complete Hard Rain concert from 1976, or one of those late fall 1978 shows with the innovative new arrangements and smokey vocals? Or how about one of the confrontational hellfire & brimstone born-again concerts from the fall of 1979 in which Dylan and his band pound a hostile and occasionally violent audience into submission?

Why not release that Canadian TV special from 1964 on DVD / Blu-ray, or a complete and uninterrupted concert from 1965, or the aborted TV special Eat the Document from 1966 with outtakes, Dylan's appearance on the Tribute to John Hammond in 1975, or the two Hard Rain specials from 1976, or the Toronto taping from 1980?

And those suggestions are just from the first two decades. Three more decades after that.

Instead of repackaging the catalog, add to the catalog. There is no shortage of material.

Richard

Hear, hear! I just spent the last month listening to every official Bob release. It's an incredibly brilliant and exhausting journey, but there is still so much more out there as Richard has listed above.

While I enjoy the majority of Dylan's work, I keep coming back to his "Country" period; specifically, John Wesley Harding (1967), Nashville Skyline (1969), and New Morning (1970). I like the stripped-down style which is reminiscent of his famous "folkie" period but with more emphasis on personal, confessional songwriting, as well as the music itself being a bit more "jammy." The "politics", if you can even call them that, are more of the sad knowledge of the way things have always been" variety rather than causes and rallying cries.

In addition to those three albums, I often listen to Blood on the Tracks, which has my all-time favorite Dylan song, "If You See Her, Say Hello."

In my post above, posted in 2012, I said I wish Sony would release the complete Isle of Wight concert from August 1969. Well, they did. It's the third disc in ANOTHER SELF-PORTRAIT (1969-1971): the Bootleg Series volume 10:

In my post above, posted in 2012, I said I wish Sony would release the complete Isle of Wight concert from August 1969. Well, they did. It's the third disc in ANOTHER SELF-PORTRAIT (1969-1971): the Bootleg Series volume 10:

Now going out of print. The concert was released August 2013 only 45 years after it was performed.

I'm listening to the Bootleg Series Vol. 10 on Amazon Prime and the alternates and demos from my aforementioned favorites Nashville Skyline and New Morning are nothing short of fantastic. I think Dylan made the right choice in eschewing the orchestral and horn overdubs. Some of these songs stylistically portend the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid sound to come. I'm just now taking it all in...

Self Portrait is an album I've wrestled with in its final form but the unadorned songs as they are on this set are quite a different thing.

In the case of Dylan and the titles of these releases, it may be the only time we may be permitted to use the term "bootleg" without betraying FSM's rules--at least I hope so!

Love those photos of "Country Bob" and the look he sported during that 1969-71 period with the white palette of his wardrobe, crap beard, and shorned hair; plus those great photos of him walking anonymously through the streets of New York.

I'm glad he eschewed the orchestra and horn overdubs, too. His vocals come through better and we can hear what he's aiming for without the distraction of all that big sound. The plaintive outlaw ballads and love songs are my favorites on this album. More of the "look" can be found in the hardcover book in the Deluxe Limited Edition of Another Self Portrait (1969-1971: the Bootleg Series volume 10, linked above. It's a substantial book, essentially a photo-essay and coffee-table pictorial. In addition to the two CD's, the Deluxe Limited Edition also contains the Isle of the Wight concert with the Band and the remastered album Self Portrait (released 1970). A 4-CD set, and worth every penny.

I wish there were more live material from this period, but Dylan had withdrawn from touring. There are the three songs from the Johnny Cash Show, a snippet from the Earl Scruggs documentary, and of course the concert from the Isle of Wight in 1969. When Dylan returned to touring with the Band in 1974, it was back to rock and roll, with a solo acoustic set in the middle. Although Dylan is in great voice and his solo sets are a treat, one can hear Levon Helm pounding the hell out of the songs on the live album, Before the Flood. He just hammers the songs to death. I prefer the Isle of Wight concert from 1969. At Isle of Wight the Band is into the country-folk style of the songs. The release of this concert is quite an event, in my view.

The Basement Tapes, informally recorded in 1967 and officially released in 1975, are part of the folk-country sound that led into John Wesley Harding-Nashville Skyline-Self Portrait-New Morning-Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid. There's also some 1972 songs in the same mode that were released only on Greatest Hits volume 2.

The Dylan organization has confirmed that the next volume in Dylan's Bootleg Series will be the Blood On the Tracks sessions, recorded in the fall of 1974. EVERYBODY looks forward to that, due in 2015 or thereabouts.

I'm glad he eschewed the orchestra and horn overdubs, too. His vocals come through better and we can hear what he's aiming for without the distraction of all that big sound. The plaintive outlaw ballads and love songs are my favorites on this album. More of the "look" can be found in the hardcover book in the Deluxe Limited Edition of Another Self Portrait (1969-1971: the Bootleg Series volume 10, linked above. It's a substantial book, essentially a photo-essay and coffee-table pictorial. In addition to the two CD's, the Deluxe Limited Edition also contains the Isle of the Wight concert with the Band and the remastered album Self Portrait (released 1970). A 4-CD set, and worth every penny.

I was sorely tempted to spring for the deluxe, but couldn't justify spending $100.00 for what amounts to Self Portrait and a concert, magnificent though the latter may be; I am able to hear it through Prime, however. I did buy the two-disc version, which has those New Morning alternates which interest me greatly. I, too, enjoy the folk standards Dylan sings here, with "This Evening So Soon" one of Bob's best vocals, imo. The books you mention are tempting, as well.

The Dylan organization has confirmed that the next volume in Dylan's Bootleg Series will be the Blood On the Tracks sessions, recorded in the fall of 1974. EVERYBODY looks forward to that, due in 2015 or thereabouts.

I'm interested (very) but I am torn in that I fear hearing lots of works in progress--as opposed to finished but discarded alternates--might spoil the air of mystery (to me) and perfection that is the final, released album.